Chang Tsai: An Image Map

"Chang Tsai's photos seem to have been the products of chance, with-

out any unusual angles or compositions, deliberate design or waiting. He just went around, observed and pressed the shutter instinctively. Neither lyrical nor atmospheric, Chang Tsai's photos are plain and straight, with few exaggerations and no affectation."-Chang Chao-tang

Born in Taipei's Dadaocheng district in 1916, Chang Tsai was nine years old when his father died. Uninterested in pursuing his studies, Chang became a part of Taiwan's New Culture Movement at a young age. Renowned as the "First Taiwanese of New Theatre," Chang Tsai's big brother Chang Wei-hsian travelled extensively to promote his "New Theatre" road show. These experiences were part of a maturation process for Chang that allowed him to absorb cultural modes of thinking and the aesthetic of direct perception common to ordinary people, all of which would appear in his future works.

Chang Tsai's work can be classified into two phases: "Shanghai" and "Taiwan."

During the 1942-1946 period, dominated by the Pacific War, Chang brought his mother and his newlywed bride to Shanghai to seek refuge with his elder brother. He stumbled upon a strange new world that seemed both unfamiliar yet connected to him by virtue of his heritage. Adopting an observer's perspective, he used his camera to discreetly record the lives and hardships of the people under the Wang Jingwei puppet regime. He thereby not only established his own artistic identity, but also supplied a precious link in the history of Chinese photography.

After returning to Taiwan, Chang continued to take an interest in the everyday lives of the people, the atmosphere of the era, and folk rituals (such as the backstage life of Taiwanese Opera, the Sanxia Sacrificial Pig Festival, and the Festival of Lord Dazhong). However, he also joined a group of scholars from National Taiwan University's Department of Anthropology to carry out a fieldwork survey on Taiwanese Aborigines. His encounters with tribes from the islands and mountains of Taiwan left an indelible imprint on him, and he would never forget the many precious faces of the indigenous people that he met.

"Never mind the purpose, just go ahead and shoot it!" Chang's direct and diligent work ethic and photographic techniques were rooted in never intentionally emphasizing or explaining anything, but rather capturing the viewer's heart and never letting go.

Festival of Lord Dazhong-Wearing the Cangue in Thanks,Sanxia Township, Taipei County, 1956, digital print

Eyes Wide, Mouth Agape, Taipei, 1950s, digital print

Watching the Sports Meet, Taipei, 1950s, digital print

Pawnbroker, Shanghai, 1942-1946, digital print